I’ve written in the past about our trials of medications to help Lego Lover feel better about the world. He has always tended towards extreme shifts of moods, although I must admit he has far more of a middle ground now than when he was a toddler and preschooler. Still, his moods shifts can be really alarming and we’ve had incidents that motivated me to take action. Last year we started medication to help with sleep issues and that has been mostly effective aside from the fact he has become resistant to its effects. Still he is better taking it than without it.

A trial of meds to help with anxiety earlier this year didn’t go well. It didn’t go badly either, but we found there was no real improvement and moved on to a different medication near the middle of the year. The current medication has been increased twice now and we feel that there has been some improvement but question whether it’s enough to warrant continuing with it. What has been interesting is that we’ve had positive feedback from two family members and a friend who all agree that he is much better than he’s been in the past. I think the Scientist and I have been too close to him to see any dramatic effect because it’s been gradual for us. But for those who seem him infrequently, it’s been rather significant.

I’ve had to make certain adjustments on the dosing of his medication to avoid the side effect of sleeplessness (which is less common than the drowsiness experienced by most users). We also had to put the previous sleeping medication back into the mix or he would be awake until 2am or later each night. But I think we are on to a good thing right now.

I’ve been attempting to reintroduce Lego Lover into some regular social outings and I think my attempts are going far better than they have in the past. I keep the situations fairly controlled but he is becoming more open to the idea of spending time with similar-aged peers that we often come into contact with. I’m hoping to create some relationships with other children so that he can share his passions with them instead of relying on me or other immediate family members for that role.

At our last pediatrician appointment, I must say I felt totally unsure whether it was worth continuing but the doctor suggested we might stick with it a bit longer and I think this turned out to be the right choice. I can’t help feeling that when we look back in four or five months, we will realize the benefits of sticking it out.